Representing a wide range of critical and theoretical perspectives, this volume examines J.M. Coetzee's novels from Dusklands to Diary of a Bad Year. The choice of essays reflects three broad goals: aligning the South African dimension of Coetzee's writing with his "late modernist" aesthetic; exploring the relationship between Coetzee's novels and his essays on linguistics; and paying particular attention to his more recent fictional experiments. These objectives are realized in essays focusing on, among other matters, the function of names and etymology in Coetzee's fiction, the vexed relationship between art and politics in apartheid South Africa, the importance of film in Coetzee's literary sensibility, Coetzee's reworkings of Defoe, the paradoxes inherent in confessional narratives, ethics and the controversial politics of reading Disgrace, intertextuality and the fictional self-consciousness of Slow Man. Through its pronounced emphasis on the novelist's later work, the collection points towards a narrato-political and linguistic reassessment of the Coetzee canon.

Originally published in 1988, John Ford: Critical Re-Visions offers a wholesale reconsideration of the reputation of a major Caroline playwright. The volume takes an historical perspective and offers a better understanding of Ford's achievement in the light of the theatrical and social conditions of his own day. The collection of essays was assembled for the 400th anniversary of the playwright's birth. The contributors, well known scholars in the field, work from a variety of critical positions: insights associated with a new historicist, feminist, structuralist and post-structuralist theory are represented, together with more traditional approaches. The essays range from detailed readings of the individual plays, including 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Perkin Warbeck, Love's Sacrifice and The Lady's Trial to more wide-ranging studies of imagery and theatrical convention; several help to illuminate our understanding of Ford's plays in the theatre of his own time, while another offers a detailed account of post-war stage, film and television productions.

This Norton Critical Edition of John Webster s 1612 13 tragedy offers a newly edited and annotated text together with a full introduction and illustrative materials intended for student readers. The Duchess of Malfi s themes of love, loyalty, and betrayal have resonated through the centuries, making this a perennially popular play with audiences and readers alike. This volume includes a generous selection of supporting materials, among them Webster s likely sources for the play (William Painter, George Whetstone, Simon Goulart, and Thomas Beard) as well as related works by Webster and George Wyther on widows, funerals, and memorializing death. A generous selection from Mark H. Curtis s classic essay, The Alienated Intellectuals of Early Stuart England, tells readers as much about the character of Bosola as it does about his creator. Henry Fitzgeffrey (1617) and Horatio Busino (1618) provide early responses to the play. Criticism is thematically organized to provide readers with a clear sense of The Duchess of Malfi s central themes of dramaturgy; the politics of family, court, and religion; and gender. Also included are essays on contemporary re-imaginings of the play and its critical reception over time. Contributors include Don D. Moore, J. L. Calderwood, Inga-Stina Ewbank, D. M. Bergeron, Christina Luckyj, B. Correll, D. C. Gunby, M. C. Bradbrook, Frank Whigham, Lee Bliss, Rowland Wymer, B. Chalk, Michael Cordner, Kathleen McCluskie, Theodora Jankowski, and Pascale Aebischer. A selected bibliography is also included."

This edition brings five of Marston"s most interesting plays together in a readable and helpful form. They are collected with modern spelling, full commentaries, textual notes and introductions, in texts newly edited from the original quartos. A survey of criticism of Marston is included. The edition of Sophonisba (a play highly praised by T. S. Eliot) is the first modernised text to appear in one hundred years. Another textual innovation is the relegation to an appendix of Webster's obtrusive additions to The Malcontent. Marston"s plays have enjoyed popular revivals in English theatres over the last decade, and the authors" commentary is designed to alert readers to theatrical effects. The playwright"s language is elucidated here far more fully than in any other collection.

Fresh explorations of the tragicomic drama, setting the familiar plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries alongside Irish and European drama. Tragicomedy is one of the most important dramatic genres in Renaissance literature, and the essays collected here offer stimulating new perspectives and insights, as well as providing broad introductions to arguably lesser-known European texts. Alongside the chapters on Classical, Italian, Spanish, and French material, there are striking and fresh approaches to Shakespeare and his contemporaries -- to the origins of mixed genre in English, to the development of Shakespearean and Fletcherian drama, to periodization in Shakespeare's career, to the language of tragicomedy, and to the theological structure of genre. The collection concludes with two essays on Irish theatre and its interactions with the London stage, further evidence of the persistent and changing energy of tragicomedy in the period. Contributors: SARAH DEWAR-WATSON, MATTHEW TREHERNE, ROBERT HENKE, GERAINT EVANS, NICHOLAS HAMMOND, ROSKING, SUZANNE GOSSETT, GORDAN MCMULLAN, MICHAEL WINMORE, JONATHAN HOPE, MICHAEL NEILL, LUCY MUNRO, DEANA RANKIN

Along with Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, Othello is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies. What distinguishes Othello is its bold treatment of racial and gender themes. It is also the only tragedy to feature a main character, Iago, who truly seems evil, betraying and deceiving those that trust him purely for spite and with no political goal. This edition, the first to give full attention to these themes, includes an extensive introduction stresses the public dimensions of the tragedy, paying particular attention to its treatment of color and social relations. Designed to meet the needs of theatre professionals, the edition includes an extensive performance history, while on-page commentary and notes explain language, word play, and staging. Collated and edited from all existing printings, this entirely new edition uses modern day spelling to make readings smoother. Appendices are included which explain the dating problems many have found in the play, describe the music that has traditionally accompanied it, and provide a full translation of the Italian novella from which the story derives. Like all editions of the Oxford Shakespeare in the Oxford World Classics series, Othello includes a full index to the introduction and commentary. It is illustrated with production photographs and related art, and features a durable sewn binding for lasting use. The Oxford Shakespeare offers authoritative texts from leading scholars in editions designed to interpret and

Would you like to experience amazing clarity, peace and freedom, even in the midst of challenging circumstances? In this ground-breaking new book, bestselling author Michael Neill shares an extraordinary new understanding of how life works that turns traditional psychology on its head. This revolutionary approach is built around three simple principles that explain where our feelings come from and how our experience of life can transform for the better in a matter of moments. Understanding these principles allows you to tap into the deeper intelligence behind life, access your natural wisdom and guidance, and unleash your limitless creative power. You'll be able to live with less stress, greater ease and a sense of connection to the larger unfolding of life. Welcome to the space where miracles happen... Are you ready to begin?

The Merchant of Venice is now the most contentious of Shakespeare's plays. Its only rival in this respect is Othello, and this is because both plays deal with dangerous issues of race. In Othello Iago uses the protagonist's colour both to goad his victim's jealousy and to excite the animosity of Venetians against this visible outsider; in The Merchant Shylock's Jewishness renders him, from the beginning, the object of general opprobrium in Christian Venice. But whereas the Moor is treated as a generally sympathetic character, the Jew appears to be cast in an entirely negative light. Or so, at least, many critics believe. In this book, however, one of the best respected critics of Shakespeare, Michael Neill, takes issue with this simplistic view, providing a fresh reading of the play and arguing that in it, as always, Shakespeare refuses to allow us the comfort of any single "view of the world".

The freshly edited and annotated text comes with a full introduction and illustrative materials intended for student readers. The Spanish Tragedy was well known to sixteenth-century audiences, and its central elements-a play-within-a-play and a ghost bent on revenge-are widely believed to have influenced Shakespeare's Hamlet. This volume includes a generous selection of supporting materials, among them Kyd's likely sources (Virgil, Jacques Yver, and the anonymous "The Earl of Leicester Betrays His Own Servant"), Thomas Nashe's satiric criticism of Kyd, Michel de Montaigne and Francis Bacon on revenge, and "The Ballad of The Spanish Tragedy," which suggests the play's initial reception. "Criticism" is thematically organized to provide readers with a clear sense of the play's major themes. Contributors include Michael Hattaway, Jonas A. Barish, Donna B. Hamilton, G. K. Hunter, Lorna Hutson, Molly Smith, J. R. Mulryne, T. McAlindon, and Andrew Sofer. A Selected Bibliography is also included.

Arguably the most perfectly poised of Restoration wit comedies, The Man of Mode is a finished exercise in dramatic sprezzatura, or nonchalance, matching the beguiling 'easiness' and 'complaisance' of its central character. The play's imaginative brilliance depends upon its author's ability to hint at the dark abyss of passion and emotional violence at whose edge the modish denizens of the town perform their graceful ballet. Its seemingly casual construction and wanton breaches of comic decorum mask a ferocious artistic control designed to upset the complacency of the audience's moral, social and aesthetic assumptions by luring them into sympathy for a character whose dangerous 'wildness' they ought to deplore. It is at once among the funniest and the most unsettling of comedies in English. The full, modernized play text is accompanied by incisive commentary notes, while its engaging introduction unpacks the complexity of the Restoration's political and theatrical context, analyses the play's performance history (including Nicholas Hytner's 2007 modern-dress version) and demonstrates Etherege's linguistic finesse. This edition is supplemented by a plot summary and an annotated bibliography. The New Mermaids plays offer: * Modernized versions of the play text edited to the highest textual standards * Fully annotated student editions with obscure words explained and critical, contextual and staging insight provided on each page * Full Introductions analyzing context, themes, author background and stage history

IF SUPERMAN NEEDED A COACH, HE'D HIRE MICHAEL NEILL! In this fun, easy-to-read book, best-selling author and internationally renowned success coach Michael Neill shares the secrets of transforming your life and the lives of the people you care about most--your family, friends, colleagues, and clients. Inside, you will learn: - How to stop thinking like a victim - The secret to financial security in any economy - Proven techniques to produce dramatic changes in yourself and others - Simple ways to create lasting relationships - The key to lifelong happiness - Strategies for increasing productivity, energy, well-being . . . and more! Whether you want to powerfully impact the lives of the people around you or simply wish to create a deeper, more meaningful experience of being alive, this book is your essential guide to helping yourself and assisting others.

"The next good mood I find my father in, I'll get him quite discarded" With these chillingly offhand words, Beatrice-Joanna, the spoilt daughter of a powerful nobleman, plots to get rid of the family servant who has crossed her once too often. The Changeling's vivid tale of sexual appetite, repulsion, betrayal and lunacy remains one of the most compelling tragedies of the 17th century. Exposing the vexed relationship between servants and masters, setting notions of `change' against the revelation of psychological 'secrets' as ways of explaining human behaviour, and exploring the idea of love as a `tame madness', the play reveals the terrifying consequences of ungoverned sexual appetite and betrayal. Featuring the full and modernized play text, this revised edition includes incisive commentary notes which explain the nuances of the play's vibrant, colloquial language and demonstrate its sly delight in the characters' conscious and unconscious wordplay. Michael Neill's illuminating introduction provides a firm grounding in the play's socio-political context, demonstrates how careful close-reading can expand your enjoyment of the play, explains the play's violent linkage of comic and tragic plots and gives theatrical life to the text via a discussion of its stage history, with a particular emphasis on the most interesting recent productions. The New Mermaids plays offer: * Modernized versions of the play text edited to the highest textual standards * Fully annotated student editions with obscure words explained and critical, contextual and staging insight provided on each page * Full Introductions analyzing context, themes, author background and stage history

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Are you ready to make your dreams come true? Michael Neill is widely recognized as one of the world's leading life coaches. His teachings have impacted everyone from housewives to CEOs and from gang members in prison to leaders at the United Nations. For the last decade, he has been sharing the principles that will allow you to create far more than you ever thought possible with far less struggle than you expected. Thousands of people from all over the world have already used his 90-day programme to reconnect with their creative spark and get their most important ideas and projects out of their head and into the world. Now it's your turn... What if you could accomplish more than you ever imagined without the constant stress and pressure associated with 'high achievement'? What if creating what you want to see in the world isn't dependent on believing in yourself, or even believing that it's possible? Whether you want breakthrough results for your business, yourself or your life, this book will change the way you see yourself as you learn to make the impossible possible!

There is a space within you where you are already perfect, whole and complete. It is a space of pure consciousness - the space inside which all thoughts come and go. When you rest in the feeling of this space, the warmth of it heals your mind and body. When you operate from the infinite creative potential of this space, you produce high levels of performance and creative flow. When you sit in the openness of this space with others, you experience a level of connection and intimacy that is breathtakingly enjoyable and filled with love. And when you explore this space more deeply, you will find yourself growing closer and closer to the divine, even if you're not sure there is such a thing and wouldn't know how to talk about it if there was. Every problem we have in life is the result of losing our bearings and getting caught up in the content of our own thinking. The solution to every one of those problems is to find our way back home. This is both the invitation and the promise of this book. One problem. One solution. Infinite possibilities. Are you ready to begin?

"Putting History to the Question" marks a critical step beyond the orthodoxy of New Historicism. This collection of mutually enriching essays, hitherto scattered through a variety of journals and critical collections, represents a generous range of Michael Neill's critical writings. Together they constitute a singularly eloquent exploration of the ways in which literary texts engage the world around them. "Putting History to the Question" is the result of Neill's ongoing investigation of how literature provides a revealing portrait of nation, social order, and empire, and how the flow of literary discourse affects the progress of history. Covering dramatic works by Shakespeare, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, and others -- and reflecting upon subjects ranging from social attitudes toward racial difference and adultery to the politics of mercantilism and the hierarchy of relationships between masters and servants -- the book reenergizes discussion of Renaissance drama and history.

In exposing the complex and fluid interdependence of literature and history, Neill avoids two common pitfalls of literary criticism, neither elevating literature above the world in which it is produced and read nor casting literary texts as mere barometers of political currents. For the many scholars and students accustomed to reading from tattered photocopies of Neill's seminal writings, "Putting History to the Question" will be a valuable addition to the critical library.

In its towering central characters, vast geographical and historical sweep, and its variety of style and mood, Anthony and Cleopatra is perhaps the most ambitious of Shakespeare's designs. Yet the degree and nature of its success remain surprisingly contentious, and performances of the play have seldom matched the extravagant expectations of its admirers. Michael Neill's wide-ranging introduction from a number of angles, including those of gender and race. He examines the sources and discusses the theatrical challenge presented by Shakespeare's technique, with its extraordinary tensions between rhetoric and action. A full stage history further illustrates its theatrical fortunes; both here and in the extensive commentary this edition illuminates the play's theatrical dimensions as well as the rich complexity of its poetic language. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Are you ready to make your dreams come true? Michael Neill is widely recognized as one of the world's leading life coaches, and his teachings have impacted everyone from housewives to CEOs and from gang members in prison to leaders at the United Nations. For the last decade, he has been sharing the principles that will allow you to create far more than you ever thought possible with far less struggle than you expected. Thousands of people from all over the world have already used the principles behind this 90-day program to reconnect with their creative spark and get their most important ideas and projects out of their head and into the world. Now it's your turn... What if you could accomplish more than you ever imagined without the constant stress and pressure associated with "high achievement?" What if creating what you want to see in the world isn't dependent on believing in yourself, or even believing that it's possible? Whether you want breakthrough results for your business, yourself, or your life, this book will change the way you see yourself as you learn to make the impossible possible!